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Digest of Education Statistics
2001 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Issue of the Digest

Table 23. Items most frequently cited by the general public as a major problem facing the local public schools: 1970 to 2001
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                 |                                                   Percent
            Problems             |_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                 |1970 |1975 |1980 |1985 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996 |1997 |1998 |1999 |2000 |2001
_________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
                1                |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  | 18  | 19  | 20
_________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
Lack of discipline ..............|  18 |  23 |  26 |  25 |  22 |  19 |  19 |  19 |  20 |  17 |  15 |  18 |  15 |  15 |  15 |  14 |  18 |  15 |  15
Lack of financial support .......|  17 |  14 |  10 |   9 |  14 |  12 |  13 |  13 |  18 |  22 |  21 |  13 |  11 |  13 |  15 |  12 |   9 |  18 |  15
Fighting/violence/gangs .........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   9 |  13 |  18 |   9 |  14 |  12 |  15 |  11 |  11 |  10
Use of drugs ....................|  11 |   9 |  14 |  18 |  30 |  32 |  34 |  38 |  22 |  22 |  16 |  11 |   7 |  16 |  14 |  10 |   8 |   9 |   9
Standards/quality of education ..| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   8 |   4 | --- |   8 |   6 |   2 |   5 | ---
                                 |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Large schools/overcrowding ......| --- |  10 |   7 |   5 |   8 |   6 |   8 |   7 |   9 |   9 |   8 |   7 |   3 |   8 |   8 |   8 |   8 |  12 |  10
Lack of respect .................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   3 |   3 |   2 | --- |   2 |   2 |   2 | ---
Lack of family structure/        |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  problems of home life .........| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   5 |   3 |   4 | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Crime/vandalism .................| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   4 |   2 |   3 | --- |   2 |   5 |   5 | ---
Getting good teachers ...........|  12 |  11 |   6 |  10 |   9 |  11 |   7 |   7 |  11 |   5 |   5 |   3 |   2 |   3 |   3 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   6
                                 |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Parents' lack of interest .......|   3 |   2 |   6 |   3 |   6 |   7 |   6 |   4 |   7 |   5 |   4 |   3 |   2 | --- | --- |   2 |   4 |   4 | ---
Poor curriculum/standards .......|   6 |   5 |  11 |  11 |   8 |  11 |   8 |   8 |  10 |   9 |   9 |   3 |   2 |   3 | --- |   1 |   2 |   2 | ---
Pupils' lack of interest/truancy | --- |   3 |   5 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   5 |   6 |   5 |   2 | --- | ---
Integration/segregation/         |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  racial discrimination..........|  17 |  15 |  10 |   4 |   4 |   4 |   4 |   5 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   3 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Management of funds/programs.....| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
                                 |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
Moral standards .................| --- | --- | --- |   2 |   7 |   6 |   3 |   3 |   3 |   4 |   3 | --- | --- | --- | --- |   2 |   2 | --- | ---
Low teacher pay .................| --- | --- | --- |   2 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   6 |   4 |   3 |   3 | --- | --- | --- | --- |   2 |   2 |   4 | ---
Teachers' lack of interest ......| --- | --- |   6 |   4 |   5 |   3 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Drinking/alcoholism .............| --- | --- |   2 |   3 |   6 |   5 |   4 |   4 |   2 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Lack of proper facilities .......|  11 |   3 |   2 |   1 |   2 |   1 |   1 |   2 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
_________________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____

---Not available.

SOURCE: Phi Delta Kappa, "The Annual Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools," various years. (This table was prepared January 2002.)


2001 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Issue of the Digest
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